Barcelona star Lionel Messi summoned over Spain tax fraud

Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have been ordered to appear before a court in September after Spanish prosecutors accused the pair of tax fraud.

Earlier, Spanish media reported that an examining magistrate had brought official charges against the Messis, but a writ showed the two had been summoned to give evidence.

Barcelona's World Player of the Year and his father are accused of defrauding the Spanish tax office of more than 4 million euros ($5.7 million).

They both deny the allegations.

"The judge has accepted the complaint presented by the [Catalonia tax crime] prosecutor against Lionel Messi and Jorge Horacio Messi for three alleged crimes against the tax authorities," a Barcelona court said in a statement.

"The acceptance of the case is the next step after a complaint is presented. The court can start to investigate and reach a conclusion as to whether a crime has been committed or not.

"The magistrate has called the accused to give evidence on September 17."

In the Spanish legal system, if the magistrate determines there is sufficient evidence to bring charges, he or she will do so and then proceed with a pre-trial investigation.

The complaint relates to the three tax periods of 2007, 2008 and 2009, the court said.

Two weeks ago, the prosecutor's office said income from the sale of Messi's image rights was effectively hidden from Spanish authorities via a complex web of shell companies in Uruguay, Belize, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The pair could face up to four years in jail if found guilty.

"We learned about the action begun by the Spanish prosecutor through the media," Argentinian-born Messi wrote in a statement on his official Facebook page at the time.

"It is something that surprises us because we have never committed any offence."

Messi joined Barcelona as a 13-year-old in 2000 and gained Spanish citizenship in 2005.